CITY HALL — Dog owners will be allowed to bring their pups into some Chicago bars without the bar owner fearing a health citation under an ordinance approved by City Council Wednesday.
The council unanimously endorsed Ald. Brendan Reilly’s (42nd) proposal without so much as a bark of opposition to narrow the city’s ban on non-service animals in businesses so it only applies to “retail food establishments” as opposed to any “place where foodstuffs are sold or on display.”
This means patrons can bring their pups along to bars that don’t serve food.
Reilly said he’s heard from bar owners who’ve been ticketed because they allow dogs on the same premises as cocktail garnishes like lemons and limes, which can be defined as “foodstuffs” under city code. His proposal would “make sure that our tavern owners aren’t being ticketed for something they’ve been doing for some time,” Reilly said during a committee meeting Monday.
“There’s a very popular practice where customers are allowed to bring their dogs to sit on their outdoor patio space during the warm weather months, and it’s really been embraced by many of the neighborhoods in the city,” the Downtown alderman said. “So this simply is to clarify that as long as a tavern license isn’t serving food … it’s OK for them to allow their customers to bring their dogs in for a visit.”
RELATED: Pubs For Pups: Bars Will Be Allowed To Welcome Pets Under Ordinance Set For City Council Approval
He added that the provision “will not mandate dogs in taverns” but will empower bars owners to allow four-legged patrons if they want.
Pet-friendly bar owners have been rankled by sporadic visits from city inspectors who issue citations of up to $500 for violating the city’s health code, Pat Doerr, managing director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, told The Daily Line.
“Alderman Reilly’s ordinance clears up a long time source of confusion over whether dogs are allowed indoors even when their spots don’t serve food,” Doerr previously said. “A good day for Chicago’s dogs and the neighborhood taverns that welcome them.”
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
